Torah Study: An Exodus Journey: Second and Fourth Friday of the month from 12:15pm-1:30pm.

Word by word, phrase by phrase, each month we explore approximately 12-14 verses of Torah. Bring your lunch and join us as we journey through the book of Exodus.

September 28:

I hope you have had a sweet and inspirational start to your 5779. For those who were not with us, I have exciting news to announce: At our last Torah study, we completed our study of the Book of Exodus, and now it's on to Leviticus with all its instructions about sacrifice and holiness. We will gather this Friday, September 28 from 12:15-1:30 p.m. at Shir Tikvah.

Join us for First Friday Potluck Dinner, Friday, October 5. We will gather at 5:15 for welcoming Shabbat rituals, start eating by 5:30 and wrap up by 6:15 so we have time to clean up and be ready for Shabbat services by 6:30.

Dinner items can be anything you like, but we do ask that you do not mix meat and dairy in the same dish. Reminder: No pork or shellfish, please.

Sweets will be available at the oneg after services.

If possible, please RSVP by end of day on Thursday, October 4 so that we know how many people to set up for. If you decide to join us at the last minute and haven't RSVP'd, please come anyway!

These potlucks are congregant led.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

We are so glad you can come to the First Friday Potluck in October!
-Jodi Gordon

Classes meet on Wednesdays from 4:30pm-6:30pm or from 6pm-8pm at Shir Tikvah. Families and community members are encouraged to join our students, faculty, and clergy in K'hilah u'T'filah (Community Prayer) at 6pm.

While Torah is at the very center of who we are as a people, it’s language, content and mysteries often keep us at bay. The Chasidic rebbes had an inspired way of seeing the Torah as alive in a way that urges us to see how it applies to every one of us personally. In these sessions, we will engage deeply with the text, in the context of Shabbat and in a spirit of discovery - “How is the Torah speaking to me personally? What is it trying to teach me about myself, my place in the world and my life in relation to my community? We will refer to the text in Hebrew, but no previous experience with Torah is necessary.

David Thomas recently retired from his role as senior rabbi at Congregation Beth El in Sudbury, MA after 17 years. Rabbi Thomas launched the award-winning MetroWest Free Medical Programand is known for his social action and racial justice initiatives in his native North Carolina as well as leading his congregation to a vote declaring a Sanctuary in Support of Immigrants in 2017.

Rabbi Thomas is a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute and has been a board member for the CCAR. David recently moved to Minneapolis to spend more time with his grandchildren.

Inside every Jew, the Rabbis teach, is a n’kudah tovah – a spark of holiness, goodness – a unique gift that no one else in the world has. The mystics explain that this is a spark of divine holiness, the chamber of our souls. What are those sparks inside us that animate Jewish life? How can our Jewish traditions nourish those sparks in our daily lives and work in the world?

Shir Tikvah’s Sparks series is designed for people of all backgrounds who want to dig deeply into Jewish heritage and contemporary relevance - whether you grew up Jewish or are exploring conversion. Each session has at-home reading to prepare in advance, so that when we meet we can go deeply into the topics and how they relate to our lives and world today.

This year, we are thrilled to offer three Sparks units: God, Torah, and Israel. In articulating Judaism to the modern world, Abraham Joshua Heschel explained, “Judaism revolves around three sacred entities: God, Torah, and Israel.” Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan articulated a parallel notion, that there are three interrelated modalities of expressing Jewish identity: Belonging (Israel), behaving (Torah), believing (God). Units may be taken together or separately.

Fall 2018: October 8 - December 17Sparks of Torah: What is Torah? What are the other sacred texts of our people? Practice living in the layers of Jewish text with Rabbi Rappaport on God-wrestling, and with Rabbi Latz on how Jews engage in civil conversation and behavior in the public square.

Winter 2019: January 7 - March 25 (no class 1/21 and 2/18)Sparks of God: How do Jews understand “God”? What are the moments of connection? How do we pray as Jews? This course with Rabbis Lekach-Rosenberg and Rappaport touches on theology, what is Jewish prayer, and the specific prayers that comprise our Shabbat services.

Spring 2019: April 1- May 29Sparks of Israel: Who are the Jews of the world? Explore key themes in the evolution of the Israelites, now known as the Jewish people. How and why did the various Movements develop? Who was left out? What are the issues that unite and divide us? What’s at stake in our unity?

If you are new to Hebrew, and/or interested in an adult b’nei-mitzvah, this class is for you.* Learn with b’nei mitzvah tutor and experienced teacher Gayle Zoffer.

Fall 2018: Alef Isn’t Tough: Learning the aleph bet

October 8 - December 17 (11 sessions) $110

Winter 2019: Alef Isn’t Enough

January 7 - April 1 (11 sessions, no class 1/21 and 2/18) $110

Spring 2019: Read Hebrew from the Siddur and Haggadah!

April 8 - May 20 (7 sessions) $70

*If you know your letters and vowels, you may join in the winter or spring session or you may want to learn Hebrew at the college level on Tuesday and Thursday nights with Hineni https://ttsp.org/hineni/courses/university-hebrew

Beginning or Refreshing: Prayerbook Hebrew

Mondays 7:50-9:00pm

Hebrew is the language with which we talk to God!

If you are new to Hebrew, and/or interested in an adult b’nei-mitzvah, this class is for you.* Learn with b’nei mitzvah tutor and experienced teacher Gayle Zoffer.

Fall 2018: Alef Isn’t Tough: Learning the aleph bet

October 8 - December 17 (11 sessions) $110

Winter 2019: Alef Isn’t Enough

January 7 - April 1 (11 sessions, no class 1/21 and 2/18) $110

Spring 2019: Read Hebrew from the Siddur and Haggadah!

April 8 - May 20 (7 sessions) $70

*If you know your letters and vowels, you may join in the winter or spring session or you may want to learn Hebrew at the college level on Tuesday and Thursday nights with Hineni https://ttsp.org/hineni/courses/university-hebrew

What are the questions I carry inside me?! Who do I need to talk with about them? What does "quality of life" mean to me? Who will be my advocate if I am unable to speak for myself? What happens if I have an unexpected illness or accident? How do I ask my loved ones about their future health care preferences? Here is your chance to do something really important from your “to-do” list, with support from your community and experts on end-of-life decision making. By the end of this series, you will have a Health Care Directive, grounded in Jewish values and practices.

Laurel Riedel is an Advanced Practice RN, CNM. Laurel was a nurse-midwife at Hennepin County Medical Center for 30 years, and is now consulting on “the other mystery” through her business, Speaking of Dying Minnesota, LLC

Inside every Jew, the Rabbis teach, is a n’kudah tovah – a spark of holiness, goodness – a unique gift that no one else in the world has. The mystics explain that this is a spark of divine holiness, the chamber of our souls. What are those sparks inside us that animate Jewish life? How can our Jewish traditions nourish those sparks in our daily lives and work in the world?

Shir Tikvah’s Sparks series is designed for people of all backgrounds who want to dig deeply into Jewish heritage and contemporary relevance - whether you grew up Jewish or are exploring conversion. Each session has at-home reading to prepare in advance, so that when we meet we can go deeply into the topics and how they relate to our lives and world today.

This year, we are thrilled to offer three Sparks units: God, Torah, and Israel. In articulating Judaism to the modern world, Abraham Joshua Heschel explained, “Judaism revolves around three sacred entities: God, Torah, and Israel.” Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan articulated a parallel notion, that there are three interrelated modalities of expressing Jewish identity: Belonging (Israel), behaving (Torah), believing (God). Units may be taken together or separately.

Fall 2018: October 8 - December 17Sparks of Torah: What is Torah? What are the other sacred texts of our people? Practice living in the layers of Jewish text with Rabbi Rappaport on God-wrestling, and with Rabbi Latz on how Jews engage in civil conversation and behavior in the public square.

Winter 2019: January 7 - March 25 (no class 1/21 and 2/18)Sparks of God: How do Jews understand “God”? What are the moments of connection? How do we pray as Jews? This course with Rabbis Lekach-Rosenberg and Rappaport touches on theology, what is Jewish prayer, and the specific prayers that comprise our Shabbat services.

Spring 2019: April 1- May 27Sparks of Israel: Who are the Jews of the world? Explore key themes in the evolution of the Israelites, now known as the Jewish people. How and why did the various Movements develop? Who was left out? What are the issues that unite and divide us? What’s at stake in our unity?

If you are new to Hebrew, and/or interested in an adult b’nei-mitzvah, this class is for you.* Learn with b’nei mitzvah tutor and experienced teacher Gayle Zoffer.

Fall 2018: Alef Isn’t Tough: Learning the aleph bet

October 8 - December 17 (11 sessions) $110

Winter 2019: Alef Isn’t Enough

January 7 - April 1 (11 sessions, no class 1/21 and 2/18) $110

Spring 2019: Read Hebrew from the Siddur and Haggadah!

April 8 - May 20 (7 sessions) $70

*If you know your letters and vowels, you may join in the winter or spring session or you may want to learn Hebrew at the college level on Tuesday and Thursday nights with Hineni https://ttsp.org/hineni/courses/university-hebrew